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Yes, I read lots of non-fiction, not as much recently as I would like. Mostly early American History, but I have another (of many) interes...

Thursday, August 3, 2017

REPARATIONS

This
is a tough topic for me and has painted a large portion of my life. I
cannot explain the responsibility I feel to at minimum discuss my historical
past, and how knowing and witnessing this past will in some way help.
Maybe it just helps me, I don't know. But, I feel compelled to
express my view of reparation.

I
am American, British, Irish, Scottish, German, Swiss, French, Native American,
Scandinavian, Portuguese, Spainish, Sardinian, West African, and very far back
Turkish, Greek, and finally Neanderthal. You know what....that pretty
much covers the world. I am earth, yet I am not just one of the above, so
am I nothing?

On
one hand my ancestors served, on the other they destroyed. So...what does
reparation mean to me. What do I claim as my heritage? Does
only royal ancestry count? I have been told by certain genealogist,
yes…but alas, they are dead wrong.

I’ve
been seeing something within the Native American community that concern me,
that I see as the continuation of a pattern of destruction and suppression.
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of postings, with pictures, by people who
claim Native American heritage (the “Diluted”), who are subsequently accused of
not looking “native” by others who fear that their Native American heritage is being
stolen (the “Purists”). Purists condemn anyone who claim native heritage
without having been raised on a reservation, or has diluted blood (e.g., less
than 80% native blood). This does nothing for the Native community as a whole,
except exacerbate the pain and emptiness which already burden Purists. My
question to Purists is, “Do you really want to use the same tactics used by the
Aryan Race to destroy and suppress ‘mongrels’? The same tactics used by
White Supremacists?” Please....no....

I
understand why tribes have to have regulations for membership in a tribe,
because of recognition from the US government. That does not have to
influence treatment of those who just want to celebrate their heritage without
affecting tribal recognition, I know that can be a gray area sometimes, but
again, a small minority.

This
behavior is similar to what happens in the black community when someone with
"light" black skin color dares to claim his/her black
heritage even though s/he had a white mom or dad. In the 1800's, such
were listed on the census as "mulatto." This was and has never
been viewed as a positive term. It was often used to suppress, even within the
black community, traumatizing those who were ostracized by the very people who
should have embraced them. Many in the black community viewed mulattos as
“privileged,” because they could frequently pass as white. Some mulattos could
and did advance themselves with the help of white privilege. Would they
have been better off staying within the black community? Should they
have stayed within the black community and accepted the shame and isolation of
that choice? Why should Purists force a choice upon mulattos that
they themselves need never make?

How
do we heal inter-communal racism? Black, red, yellow…. It might be helpful to
first remember that there are no absolutes, only shades of gray, exemplified by
my own ancestry.

On
my mother's side (which is predominantly from the south and southwest), I
cannot find one direct ancestor that fought for the south in the civil war, nor
owned slaves, not one, yay, right? BUT, on my father's side, not only do
I have direct ancestors who fought for the south and owned slaves, I also have
two Native American chiefs (Werowances) whose progeny owned slaves (and possibly
the chiefs as well). (Yes, Native Americans in the south sometimes owned
slaves! I can delve into this for pages, but let's stay on point.)

Also
on my mother's side, I have a direct ancestor who, in his time, was a
well-known buffalo hunter in Kansas. He massacred an amazing number of
buffalo. It hasn't been proven yet, but his grandfather was adopted and
was believed to have been Native American.

Whites
who hunted buffalo and owned slaves. But also whites who didn’t own
slaves. And Native Americans who did own slaves! Who the hell am I? Do
I celebrate my white ancestry and feel ashamed of my Native American ancestry?
Or do I feel ashamed of them both? How should I reconcile such surprising
discrepancies? This is where, for me, reparation is important. I
learn about all of my ancestry. But more importantly, I honor all of
my ancestry – the good and the bad and, more frequently, the grey. I think
that it’s okay to feel a connection to my Native American ancestry even though
I look and am predominantly white. I do not take anything away
from anyone (including Purists) by doing this. I serve the buffalo by
showing their beauty to others in pictures on my Facebook page and elsewhere.
Someday I hope to put my hands on a buffalo and weep. This will heal me
and maybe even the buffalo. Or maybe just me, I don't know.

Elsewhere,
I honor my West African heritage by referring to my black friends as “my
brothers and sisters,” and by acting as witness to and shining the light on
racism through Facebook posts and discussions with those who don't get it. Does
this very small part of my DNA come from one of my slave owning ancestors?
Probably. I honor all of it. I acknowledge the beauty
and pride in us all and in all the heritages we represent. I do
everything I can to keep them alive regardless of the comprise in my own
ancestry. Do I do enough? Probably not, but I will continue to
honor and support every one of them in any way possible to help heal racism.
It takes nothing away from anyone to do so. How about you?

I
understand the desire to hold one’s heritage close, within one’s heart. That
is not permission, however, to push others away from their desire to also honor
history – history that is shared by both Diluted and Purists. Yes...you
can share. I know, there will always be those who will try to use
"heritage" to their advantage. But, really...what can they
gain? They are a very small minority. Should we let this small minority
deepen racial wounds? Why, when there is support and healing to be gained by
including everyone in honoring your heritage? I'm not here to tell
you what you should do. But I do urge you to consider your own role
in this spectrum. And I encourage you to share in the comments the ways in
which you act to help heal these old wounds.

I
started writing this article the day before reading about the UN
announcement last year (making the rounds again on Facebook) about it's
findings on US Slavery Reparations. Serendipitous this would find me
right as I was finishing the article. It's important to note that the
UN just had recommendations, no "orders"......